Four hours of sleep, a lot of coffee, back at work. Yeah, I’m still feeling very bitter. Actually I think the bitterness is keeping me more awake than the coffee.
As was pointed out in the comments previously, Pitt looked like the overall superior team in size, strength and talent. Check that. Pitt looked like the team with the superior players. UConn was the superior team. They were better coached. Better prepared. Just better last night.
After Pitt had gone up 21-13 with 13 seconds left in the 3d quarter, I wrote the following in the notes I was taking on the game:
This where superior size, talent, and conditioning come in to play against UConn — again. UConn played better than Pitt for a while, but Pitt has simply worn them down.
Then Moore broke off a 95-yard kickoff return for a TD. A total momentum changer. The sort of thing (like Cinci last year) that rejuvenated the UConn side. They still had hope. They played like it, and Pitt went back on their heels.
In those final minutes, when UConn went for it on 4th down, I had no doubt they were going to get it. They not only wanted it more, Pitt was completely unprepared/unwilling to believe they were going for it.
It was a choke job by Pitt.
Wannstedt was his usual self after a loss.
“It was obvious we didn’t play well enough to win,” Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. “Our guys gave effort every minute until the last whistle. We did not stop the run on defense, we turned the ball over on offense and we gave up two plays on special teams, a touchdown and a fumble which turned into 14 points.
“It was just disappointing because of how we practiced. I thought our guys showed up ready to go, but we didn’t handle it well in any area. Now it is back to the drawing board.”
Coaching wasn’t the problem. Preparation wasn’t the problem. Effort wasn’t the problem. It was all execution.
/slams head into wall
Of course it was.
And while I really want to lay off Sunseri, his parroting of Wannstedt after the game had me letting loose with some primal screams.
Sunseri said: “I felt that Uconn had a good game plan and came out and executed. … We’re a young team and we’re just going to keep learning each and every week.”
It is mid-November. That was game 9. No. That is not an acceptable excuse. Not from the coaches. Not from the players. What exactly did you learn this week? That extra preparation and Coach Wannstedt do not go well together? That you play better at home than on the road? What exactly are you learning? That when you try to throw the ball further than 10 yards downfield, it is a crap shoot as to whether it is catchable by the WR?
I’m at a loss right now. I know Wannstedt isn’t going anywhere. The administration loves him. The boosters love him. What changes can you make? Phil Bennett, for his own sake, needs to move on soon. Not sure how much blame he bears but he is no longer improving his stock by staying.
Everything going into this year — from the marketing to the expectations — were that Pitt needed to/would have a big year. The breakthrough year under Wannstedt that has been expected. Instead Pitt has blown every opportunity to have, create, recapture excitement for the football team. How do you sell this team for next year?
Whether anyone in the Pitt Athletic Department wants to admit it or not, there is a problem going forward.
Take the QB’s names out of it completely for a moment and just look at what transpired from a Leadership and Management POV if you will. DW violated its basic principals when he clearly spoke of having open starting positions and conducting competition between players to fill those spots (and notice I said “open” positions) and then turning around and excluding the key on-field leader position at QB. The fact that he did this so blatantly and to this day has not allowed another QB to take even one 1st string snap effectively tells us that there is but one option at QB and no other.
This obvious break in Leadership protocol bleeds into other areas without fail. Does anyone doubt that we are seeing some real problems with the kids on this team this season – both off the field and in their lackluster play and attitudes? There are always other factors that go into losses besides not scoring enough points…
Forget about this being piss-poor preparation in contingency planning… he’s assuming an injury won’t occur I suppose… but it also marginalizes the back up QB to the point where the first string must understand that DW has zero confidence in his getting the job done – otherwise why wouldn’t there be even a few series where a different QB plays with the starters?
On the other hand and back to personalities – if Tino Sunseri was so ill prepared for play at this level that he needed every single snap that he could get with the first team, from Jan until now… one has to wonder why anyone is surprised that he’s struggling the way he is this season. And he is struggling regardless of his statistics. After the RU game I walked into the bar and was shocked that PITT fans thought he played well… to me it was a another showing of a QB who still can’t engender confidence from his play. He plays QB like he’s still in HS thinking that because he’s got a good arm and can scramble he can always pull it out – well he’s a bit overwhelmed at this level IMO and it doesn’t have anything to do with his physical talents. Reference the real problem he has had just figuring out which play is being called and getting the play to the kids in the huddle – that has been a constant issue and he doesn’t make it any better when he finger points to others for those mistakes. He still locks onto his receivers and tends to freeze when the play doesn’t develop exactly as drawn up.
I’m not so sure he’ll make that big jump from year one to year two as others do…
But then again – Sunseri just may be the QB who gives us the best chance to win, our QB corps may be that poor… but as the poster above said – we will never really know that because DW was deathly afraid of having to make that actual choice. In a real sense Wannstedt took the easy way out with this issue and it’s coming back to bite him in the ass.
I’ve always maintained that Sunseri was simply the best choice available at the time, or to put it in negative terms, since that’s what people seem to understand here, he was the lesser of two evils. And, yes, he wasn’t ready, especially for an opening game like @Utah, so yes, he needed every snap in camp in an attempt to get him there. And, yes, from our outside perspective the lack of true competition for that job appears to have created leadership issues. I agree with you.
But, it does not explain a history of WTF letdowns both in Wanny’s pro career and at Pitt.
It does not explain, Saddler letting punts bounce in front of him instead of fielding them. It does not explain Sheard pulling up when he could have made plays – at ND against Crist and on the punt Thurs. It does not explain the defense not being agressive in stopping a critical 4th and 1. It does not explain Sunseri shaking his head and saying “that was stupid” as he came off the field following the laydown after Dom’s INT in the L’ville game. It does not explain numerous plays like those above throughout Wanny’s tenure. And, it does not explain the quote from Dan Hampton posted by markup on the previous thread.
My contention is that larger issue is that Wanny fears making mistakes and he has difficulty overcoming mistakes when they happen. (The Sunseri/Bostick saga is just another in a long line of such gaffs.) Therefore, he is always operating from a negative, defensive position and that becomes pervasive throughout his teams.
Wanny’s no-mistakes, negative, defensive posture is why he’s only had serviceable QBs instead of great QBs on all of his teams. Great QBs are risk-takers. They make mistakes but the good outweighs the bad. Wanny would not be able to deal with that on a game-to-game basis.
And for you Bostick fans, that’s what sealed his fate on this team long ago. His 2 to 1 INT to TD ratio, even in those legendary games “he won,” made him the odd man out in this year’s QB competition before it even began.
Yes, he’s handled it very well, because his ultimate goal is to be a coach someday. That’s been written by several journalists. That’s why you see him heavily involved in the game and with players on the sideline. And, I’ve seen him and Sunseri talking during the game plenty of times with Pat giving Tino pointers. I wouldn’t be surprised if his assumed role, besides being the backup QB, was as a kind of player/coach, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he becomes a graduate assistant at Pitt after his playing days are over.
Todo din?mica y muy positiva! 🙂
[url=http://www.bredsix.com/]Dolly[/url]
And last but not least is Wanny able to manage his assistants?
I dont care about stats, ive made that clear on this board. Especially qb stats… which are nearly useless in college. Accuracy and precision are outweighed by system, pass types, routes, yards after catch, receiver skills, etc…
To say that Pat Bostick who won at WVU and ND would be 0-4 on the road this year is stupid. Thats literally an indefensible statement… having watched how absolutely clueless and talentless Tino is in these games and then to see the way Pat played those games is just sickening. Remembering the consecutive fade routes to Baldwin in the corner at ND… didnt let it phase him, just kept putting it up for Baldwin to make the play. Remember the td drive to take the lead at WVU?? Kept it simple… the pass to Oderick Turner? The 1 yard sneak? No pathetic trashy celebration like Tino did at ND. He just scored one of the biggest td’s in Pitt history and it was business as usual, calm. An even keel from your qb on the road is often the key to winning. What was Tino like at ND? He acted like he just won the super bowl when he ran that bootleg in… watching the game with friends in nyc was embarassing. The one remarked to me, “does he realize hes been blowing this game?” The other, “wow, surprising for a school that produces class acts like Larry Fitz.”
link to sports.espn.go.com
link to youtube.com
This is disgusting to watch… on all levels. There is a 0% chance Pat Bostick would have led this team to anything less than 5-4. Tino has played poorly in every game against real opponents, yet he remains in the game without reproach.
Wanny on Bostick after the 2007 loss to L’ville. He’d already thrown 7 of his 13 INTs that season.
DeVanzo: Do you think maybe Sunseri was just a little fired up after the TD at ND because Pitt had just driven 77 yds in 3 mins for their first TD, which meant they might have a shot at pulling it out. Or, is he not allowed to be a competitor, or a kid for that matter?
And, 0-4 on the road? Are you conveniently forgetting the 45-14 whipping of Syracuse in the Dome? Oh right, Sunseri had nothing to do with that. It was everyone else on the team. But Bostick single-handedly won at WVU ’07 and ND ’08. It had nothing to do with Shady. Make your points, but please stop twisting facts to do so.
You know I like Bostick. I think he would be an excellent QB for Pitt in another system. But he takes too many chances for Wanny’s risk-aversion philosophy. We’ve been down this road too many times already. Let’s focus on the real problems – please. They go beyond Sunseri.
1-3 on road
0-4 against real teams… that work better?
stop talking about Cuse like they are Alabama, they will get stomped by a non-con team in their bowl game as they did in their preseason when they got stomped by a 3-6 average Washington team.
the real issues with the team? so the quarterback isnt an issue? Youre right, Tino is playing well, the situation was handled correctly by the coaching staff, and it hasnt affeected the outcomes of the games weve played. Again… not a real issue.
Yea… he was so fired up that the joke of a performance he had put on was now righted by one bootleg. Watching Fitz catch 3 td’s in Lane stadium in a much more important game elicited no childish response… celebrations like that are pathetic, especially when they arent warranted
So youre saying that him being a “competitor” and a “kid” shouldnt be an issue?
competitor – walking off the sideline ignoring your coach after you make a mistake? did anything in that Miami performance suggest he was a competitor?
kid – talking trash instead of getting your team lined up for a vital 4th down play… no argument there
that sequence alone would have had him benched by most coaches… his lack of control, maturity, game awareness, and TALENT to get his team in a position to win are the difference between winning and losing.
and if i hear one more excuse for a 21 year old being a kid or not being mature enough yet im gonna lose it…there are 21 year olds in every major professional sport… and there are 21 year olds leading soldiers in the middle east
if he doesnt have it yet he never will. PERIOD
Funny how people’s memories are different. But, he did finally connect on the third try. I can’t deny that.
My point is that you twist facts to make your points. Also, you continue to attack one player in particular on a personal level rather than purely for his game performance, and you only point out his mistakes, when there are numerous players responsible for those losses. Finally, you take things others say out of context to further your points.
Even though I agree with many of your points, it’s hard for me to admit it because of your style. I think this is about the fifth time I’ve said that this season.
TampaT never said quarterbacking isn’t an issue; he simply said that the team has other real issues. There ARE very clear issues at linebacker, corner and offensive line. There are issues with game prep and schemes on both sides of the ball. There are execution issues on both sides of the ball. There are focus issues on both sides of the ball. There are leadership issues that go beyond the quarterback. Have those not all factored in as well?
TampaT doesn’t make Syracuse out to be Alabama. He simply said that Pitt stomped them on their own field which – by my recollection of the game – Pitt did.
I agree with the opinions of many here who say that his deep passes tend to arc/flutter. He overthrows deep more often that some might like to see. It seems like the ball gets away from him at times and he tends to throw high. But it’s worth noting that I can recall watching that Notre Dame game in 2008 and seeing Pat Bostick make those very same type of mistakes. There were times Bostick’s passes down the middle sailed so much, I thought he was going to get his receivers killed.
I don’t have a problem with the emotion he displayed on the bootleg at ND, but that’s just me. It seemed genuine and I like to see that out of players. I was a Palko fan for the same reason and it’s worth noting that even the most collected and cool of quarterbacks have their moments; witness Tom Brady at various times last night at both ends of the spectrum – his mini-meltdown on the sidelines, and then his very emphatic spike in the endzone on the QB draw.
Would I like to see more composure from him? Sure. He was visibly rattled by Miami and I can’t say I entirely blame him. To some degree, there wasn’t much he could do. He looked rattled after he threw the second pick at UConn. It happens. He had a bad game. Not every 21-year old kid can be Sidney Crosby in terms of composure or fortitude.
You often seem to be in such a hurry to slam Sunseri that you distort just about everything the person you’re replying to said. See the items I noted above. I don’t know what the nature of issue is with Sunseri. Maybe he stole your girlfriend in high school or something; I really don’t care. I understand you don’t like the guy as a quarterback and you don’t seem to like him very much as a person; that’s fine. But please don’t take what everyone else says out of context just to advance your argument, or simply because they don’t share in your exact opinion of him.
Thank you.
Also, if Tino is Wanny’s boy, why does it appear that Wanny’s suddenly lost him as evidenced by the reaction after that interception? My guess is that he too is a little tired of hearing about not making mistakes.
Earlier, I mentioned Sunseri’s reaction after coming off the field in the L’ville game. It was right after DeCicco’s interception. Basically, Pitt layed down and gave the ball back. Many saw that as a class act by Wanny of not running up the score. But Sunseri was pissed! Why? Maybe it was because a good play from a defender was rewarded by holding back. It may have been classy on Wanny’s part, but it sent a bad message to a team that was getting used to crushing opponents.
I think the issues go deeper than that one decision on the QB. It’s a piece but not the whole.
who to play at quarterback is one of the most important decisions a coach can make…
ugh
i mean… ive been saying that he isnt d1 level talent for two years…4 losses later its always something else and hell get better, etc. Its clear that DW is going to let Tino captain this ship into the rocks… im just glad he wont be allowed to do it again in 2011 when a real coach comes along
my biggest problem with the whole process was the lack of competition both in camp and on the field. Garbage minutes in Miami werent worth even writing about… Tino was miserable for 98% of the Utah game… 85% of the ND game… 90% of the UCONN Game…. All 3 of those games came down to one possesion because the rest of the team did enough for their quarterback to give him a chance to win and Tino couldnt do it… its fairly obvious he cant get the job done. Everything else doesnt matter… was the ball in Tino’s hand to win at ND and at UTAH?? Yes. Uconn was just such a poor performance across the board, its easy to shift blame for the loss to the d/coaching/special teams etc… but Tino sucked as well!
The Tino issue is just a facet of the wanny issue… and both will hopefully he handled this offseason
My Christmas list:
a pink slip for dave
an open qb competition
Tampa – actually you did whiff on my post when I tried to make it clear that what I was writing about didn’t have anything to do with the merits of Sunseri’s play on the field, but everything to do with the way the coaching staff handled the non-competition.
I’ve said many times that Sunseri may have beaten out Bostick regardless of how things were handled – but that does not preclude the fact that it should have been handled in an equitable and more productive manner.
What we have now is a HC so firmly entrenched in his QB pick (kind of ‘DW against the world’ at this point) that he literally can’t even entertain the thought of substitution another QB in for a series or two to either light a spark under the offense or to send a message to Sunseri that he isn’t untouchable.
Because at this point Sunseri is untouchable and with someone who has his emotional makeup that might be the worst possible thing that could happen.
I don’t think the whole problem with PITT’s season so far is the QB play of Tino Sunseri- although I do think it is a big contributor since I think he’s played rather poorly all told. No, I believe that Wannstedt has introduced a sort of cancer among his players with the bumbling way he conducted his decision making over the off season… QB handling being the main issue but one of many.
I honestly don’t know if Tino is going to be a good QB. However, if I thought he was going to be one (and had that type of upside) you’re damn right he is playing LAST year instead of Billy Boy who clearly did NOT have any upside.
A tenured Bostick or Sunseri has us at 7-2 this year, IMHO…and likely 9 or 10 wins last year.
Wanny boned this last year, and the pain is being felt this year.
Well maybe not.
Do I think nepotism exists? In the real world, of course. In the Sunseri/Bostick case, no. I made the point a long time ago that Wanny has little to gain from Sal and much to lose from a decision based solely on friendship. His job security is based on winning and Sal can’t help him there.
Do I think favoritism exists? Yes. I do think Sunseri became Wanny’s favorite mainly based on his risk-aversion tendencies. Right or wrong, he felt Sunseri would make fewer mistakes, and I agree with everyone who says his mind was made up long before Spring. I also think that you can look at other positions where favoritism came into play, but since QB is the most visible position on the team, it’s the one we kept hearing about.
Do I think the most talented person won out? No. I’ve always said I like Bostick and have never questioned his talent. I’ve said he takes risks, which again goes against the grain of Wanny’s risk-aversion tendencies.
Do I think the best person won out? I can’t answer that. There was never any real competition. I’ve never said I thought that was fair or the right thing. I actually agree with Reed that it is problematic. I’ve simply tried to rationalize why Wanny and Cignetti found it necessary to give Sunseri all the reps. He was not ready for an opening game @Utah, and to Pauly P’s point, they blew that last year by not giving him more reps in games.
Actually, I find the entire debate somewhat amusing. Last year, when many thought Sunseri outperformed Stull in camp, the outcry was “If they’ve already made up their minds, why even have a QB competition?” This year, the outcry is “There was no QB competition!” when in reality it seems that they’d already made up their minds, just like last year.
Wanny’s major mistake was promising a competition when he had no intention of having one. I still contend that it’s all tied to his risk-aversion – don’t want to risk another QB controversy, don’t want to risk making mistakes, don’t want to risk having to admit mistakes, etc., etc. Like Reed also said, it’s all coming back to bite him in the ass.
When players don’t execute it absolutely is a coaching problem. Coaches are supposed to drill mistakes out of the team. That’s called practice. Ints, fumbles, blown kicks… all mistakes that should be rare due to proper coaching. Truly great teams are great because they rarely make mistakes. Coaches are supposed to motivate and inspire players. If the players fail its mostly because the coaches fail.
The problem lies with the example put forth by Wanny himself, as Ulteriormotifs eloquently described. As I stated earlier, when your head coach’s overarching philosophy is “Let’s not make any mistakes” instead of “Let’s kick our opponent’s asses” you are operating from a negative posture. Bad thoughts produce bad results. And, when those bad results happen, and your leader looks panicked instead of calm and confident, things only get worse. You certainly saw that in the latter stages of the UConn game.
Also, when your base philosophy is negatively-oriented, you tend to produce underperformance, and the people under your watch don’t develop. Instead, they seem to regress. It’s like having a race horse and constantly pulling at his reins. Eventually, he stops trying to run at full speed.
Look, I think Wanny is an honest, hard working, loyal guy. His love for Pitt is admirable and I’m sure he really means well for the kids. He’s just not a good fit in his current role. That’s why I’d like to see Nordenberg and Pederson find some other way he can contribute to Pitt’s athletic success.